Language | BILINGUAL Sep 10, 2018
Rest, weary Japan traveler, and read this riveting 'ishibumi'
by Mark Schreiber
Much can be gleaned from memorials and markers erected at roadsides and elsewhere in Japan to commemorate people or mark events.
Language | BILINGUAL Sep 3, 2018
Getting to know Japan on a first-name basis
by Peter Backhaus
What's in a first name? In Japan, you'll find insights into societal change.
Language | BILINGUAL Aug 27, 2018
Will society still need me, will it still feed me, when I'm 100?
by Kaori Shoji
Back in the 1960s when Paul McCartney wrote "When I'm 64," the average life expectancy worldwide was 52. Yet half a century on, Japan is already gearing up for the era of 人生百年 (jinsei hyakunen, 100-year life).
Language | BILINGUAL Aug 20, 2018
Smile as you study:/ Sharp salaryman senryu/ satirize the slog
by Mark Schreiber
Highlights from the 31st Senryu for Salaried Workers Contest riff on the situations employees encounter at the office, home or both.
Language | BILINGUAL Aug 6, 2018
Spooky Japanese tales will scare the summer's heat out of you
by Kaori Shoji
Until recently, summer nights involved turning off the AC and doing things like kurumaza ni natte kaidanbanashi (sitting in a circle and telling ghost stories).
Language | BILINGUAL Jul 30, 2018
Get a handle on kanji in Japanese with the hand classifier
by Mark Schreiber
Considering the versatility of the human hand, it should come as no surprise that it can be found within more than 1,000 kanji.
Language | BILINGUAL Jul 23, 2018
Wherever you go in Japanese, you'll always find your 'tokoro'
by Peter Backhaus
The word "tokoro" can be used to pin down a place in space, time or in a more abstract sense.
Language | BILINGUAL Jul 16, 2018
'All Japan' World Cup team gave fans and the media much to mull over
by Kaori Shoji
Regardless of musical chairs with the manager job, the Japanese are basking in the afterglow of having made it to the round of 16 when few people had thought they could pull it off.
Language | BILINGUAL Jul 11, 2018
Speak Japanese like a biker punk from the future with 'Akira'
by Matt Schley
Those looking to give their Japanese a bit of biker edge could do worse than take in a screening of the classic sci-fi anime "Akira."
Language | BILINGUAL Jul 2, 2018
In Japanese, finding 'beauty' in plump sheep and toadies
by Mark Schreiber
Kanji with ovine roots turns up all over the place in Japanese vocabulary.
Language | BILINGUAL Jun 25, 2018
At 180,000 entries, Jim Breen's freeware Japanese dictionary is still growing
by Daniel Morales
Even if they haven't visited Jim Breen's site directly, every Japanese learner will have come across his dictionary material in some form.
Language | BILINGUAL Jun 18, 2018
Why do the Japanese suck at learning English?
by Kaori Shoji
It's been said time and again: 日本人は英語がダメ (Nihonjin wa Eigo ga dame, The Japanese are terrible at English). In spite of the strong emphasis on 英語教育 (Eigo kyōiku, English education) instilled in a rigorous school system and the numerous 英会話学校 (Eikaiwa gakkō, English conversation schools) ...